Video poker that is played on an electronic video poker gaming machine is designed to replicate the play of a hand of poker. Typically, the player is not playing against any other player's hands or against a dealer's hand; the player is simply attempting to achieve the highest ranking poker hand possible from the cards displayed to the player. The higher the ranking of the poker hand achieved by the player, the greater the player's winnings based on the number of coins, tokens or credits wagered by the player. Typically, a payout schedule is posted on the gaming machine to advise the player of the payoffs available for certain winning card combinations.
The forerunner of all electronic video poker gaming machines is the video Draw Poker machine that deals cards from a standard fifty-two card poker deck and displays a single five card hand to the player. The player then selects which of the five cards he wishes to hold (or discard depending on the format of the gaming machine). The draw poker machine then displays replacement cards for the cards the player has discarded. The player wins or loses based on conventional poker hand rankings for the resulting five card hand.
In video Draw Poker, the conventional poker hand rankings that are winning combinations are a Royal Flush, a Straight Flush, a Four of a Kind, a Full House, a Flush, a Straight, a Three of a Kind, a Two Pair and a Pair of Jacks or Better. A payout table is established based on the number of coins wagered by the player and the type of poker hand achieved.
The classic draw poker machine has been modified to use Jokers as wild cards or to use Deuces (or even other cards) as wild cards. “Jokers Wild” and “Deuces Wild” draw poker still display to the player a single five card hand and allow the player to discard unwanted cards and receive replacement cards. The payout table is modified to recognize the differing odds for achieving various poker hands when wild cards are involved. Furthermore, different poker hand rankings are used in the pay table to recognize different winning combinations that can be achieved using wild cards.
There are many poker formats used in video draw poker. These poker game formats include Jacks (or even Tens) or Better Draw Poker, Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus Poker, Super Double Bonus Poker, Triple Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild Poker, Jokers Wild Poker, Deuces and Jokers Wild Poker, etc. Many electronic video poker gaming machines are provided with a menu so that the player can indicate his choice of the poker game format that the player wishes to play and the player then makes his wager based on upon that choice of poker game format. Each poker format has its own pay table associated therewith.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,873 (Moody) (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference) describes an electronic video gaming machine and method in which the player may play multiple hands at the same time. The player makes a wager for each separate hand to be played by the player. One hand of five cards is dealt all face up. The player selects none, one or more of the face up cards from the first hand as cards to be held. The cards that are held are reused from the first hand into all of the other hands. Replacement cards for the non-selected cards are dealt into the first hand and additional cards are then dealt to the first hand, if needed, so that the first hand has five cards. Additional cards are also dealt to all of the other hands so that each hand is a five card hand. The poker hand ranking of each five card hand is determined row by row. The player is then paid for any winning poker hands based on a pay table and the amount of the player's wager. The most successful commercial embodiment of this multiple hand method of play is a three hand game known as TRIPLE PLAY DRAW POKER®, although there as also five hand, ten hand, fifty hand and even one hundred hand versions of this multiple hand game.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,074 (Moody et al.) (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference) describes another electronic video gaming machine and method in which the player may play multiple hands at the same time. The player makes a wager for each separate hand to be played by the player. A first hand of five cards is dealt all face up. The player selects none, one or more of the face up cards from the first hand as cards to be held. Replacement cards for the non-selected cards are dealt into the first hand and the player receives an award for any winning hand combinations.
The original five cards are redisplayed into a second hand. The player selects none, one or more of the face up cards from the second hand as cards to be held. Replacement cards for the non-selected cards are dealt into the second hand and the player receives an award for any winning hand combinations. This redisplay of the original hand, discarding and replacement continues until all of the number of hands selected to be played by the player are completed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,568 (Hachquet) (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,883 (Hachquet) (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference) each describes yet another electronic video gaming machine and method in which the player may play multiple hands at the same time. The player makes a wager for each separate hand to be played by the player, for example two hands. Two hands of five cards are dealt all face up, with each hand having the identical cards by suit and rank. The player selects none, one or more of the face up cards from the first hand as cards to be held and the player selects none, one or more of the face up cards from the second hand as cards to be held. The cards selected to be held from each hand may or may not be the same cards. Replacement cards for the non-selected cards are dealt into the first hand and replacement cards for the non-selected cards are dealt into the second hand and the player receives an award for any winning hand combinations in either or both of the first and second hands.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new form of an electronic video poker game that provides the player with one or more additional video poker hands on the next round of play whenever the player achieves a certain starting hand combination on the original round of play.
It is a feature of the present invention that whenever the player achieves one of the predetermined types of starting hand combinations on the original round of play of video poker, then the player is awarded one or more additional hands of video poker on the next round of play. The additional hands of video poker on the next round of play are played according to the multiple hand poker method described in U.S. Pat No. 5,823,873; or U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,074; or U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,568 or U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,883. These one or more additional hands can be awarded with or without the player having to make an additional wager.
It is a further feature of the present invention that the award of one or more additional hands may continue consecutively as long as the player continues to achieve one of the predetermined types of starting hand combinations on the previous round of play of video poker.
It is an advantage of the present invention that the player is provided with one or more additional hands of video poker to play with having to make only one additional wager. This increases the player's opportunity to achieve winning payouts without significantly increasing the monetary risk to the player.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.